In fact, the modern consumer believes that such strategies are invasive and unnecessary.

On the other hand, modern strategies are much more subtle.

Digital marketing, for example, applies concepts such as Content marketing, which aims to attract customers without promoting specifically the company’s brands and products non-stop, which works a lot better with the modern consumer.

Therefore, companies have come to the conclusion that it’s unnecessary to bombard potential customers with traditional advertising.It’s much more effective to implement more subtle persuasion strategies.

3. They compares different brands to find the best value for money

Before making a purchase, the modern consumer searches for information, identifies and evaluates their options.

If in the past you had to go from store to store to check prices and payment conditions, now it’s much easier. The internet provides a variety of resources so that consumers have access to real product information.

Comparison sites such as NexTag and PriceGrabber have become popular. They evaluate thousands of items in the market, draw a comparative profile, present the best options and show you the prices changes over the past months.

Purchases are based not only on cost-effectiveness, but on a set of factors such as:

Quality;

Durability;

Level of customer satisfaction;

Usability and more.

Best of all: this data can be looked at, with no bureaucracy, on the internet.

In addition, it is very simple to find other people’s opinions about each product, what further improves the users’ shopping experience (we’ll talk more about this later in this text).

4. They want to make a purchase with no bureaucracy

Since we are talking about consumer behavior, here is a characteristic that can’t go unnoticed: the current consumers want to make their purchases with agility and zero bureaucracy.

Time-consuming, complicated, and confusing processes are discouraging and often, consumers just give up on following through with the purchase.

Sales pages should be created having the best customer experience in mind.

From attracting to persuading them, only truly relevant information must be present.

Quite a few strategies can be taken for the buying process to become faster and more efficient.

Among them, is the use of minimalism in the internal forms of the sales sites. The fewer fields to fill in, the better.

And this is important not just for simplification purposes. The current consumer wants to provide as little personal information as possible, especially for the fear of fraud.

Another important matter concerns the page load time.

If the brand’s site is slow, chances are the purchase will be halted.

Modern devices are getting faster and faster and the access often happens in the blink of an eye. So having a responsive, mobile-optimized, and fast-paced website is essential.

5. They want to feel part of a community

Shopping in the modern world is not only based on individual interests. The consumer’s behavior has changed, and now collectivism is taken into account.

In their business relationships, new customers want to feel part of something bigger.

This change explains, for example, the tendency to use ecological bags instead of traditional plastic bags. Nobody wants to be seen on the street as being responsible for global warming, pollution, and other environmental issues.

Being part of a community has become an important value for lots of people.

6. They like to ask for other people’s opinion about a product

Do you remember we mentionedt how people can easily find product’s reviews before making a purchase?

The current consumer relies significantly on the opinion of others, even if they are strangers.

This finding explains the growth of recommendation systems, such as reviews on Airbnb and Amazon, for instance.

There are market researchers who say trust is a new currency, as important as money.

That is, people rely a lot on what their peers are talking about a certain product or service.

Therefore, the better the assessment of a company is on the internet, the greater the chance that their products will be purchased. And that goes for everything, from hotels and restaurants to products.

7. They are interested in new market trends

Any and all market research tends to point to the same thing: the modern consumer wants to be the first to experience new trends.

Every day there is something new. Whether it is new products, services, processes or more. And the current consumer doesn’t want to wait until the next day to get their hands on something new.

As soon as Apple product launches are announced, for example, huge queues are formed in official stores. These “early adopters” literally sleep on the sidewalk to get a taste of what is new first.

Considering that, companies and organizations must be increasingly up-to-date. Getting left behind is not an option and could lead to the failure of businesses.

If the customer wants what is new, the entrepreneur should offer them the latest, trendiest products.

At the same time, innovative businesses, which are not only up-to-date but are also able to deliver something that didn’t exist on the market previously, are becoming more and more popular. Which means: thinking outside the box has become a necessity.

8. They are influenced by people they admire

One of the most current characteristics of the consumer is how likely they are to buy something based on what experts in a certain field say.

These are the so-called Digital influencers, professionals who share with the public their personal tastes and opinions.

And we’re not talking about anyone!

Digital influencers are professionals with thousands of followers on various social platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

They have the power to dictate trends and transform the opinion and behavior of potential customers.

The power of influencers is so relevant nowadays that they are being hired directly by brands to help with advertising campaigns.

9. They wory about eco-friendly products and avoid waste

Remember when we talked about the willingness to be a part of a community and caring about it?

Another characteristic of modern consumer behavior is the being concerned and actually doing something about protecting the environment, caring about sustainability and the correct use of natural resources.

This is not a passing craze, but a true concern for the future of humanity.

Eco-friendly products, which have the least possible impact on the environment, are preferred by these consumers. And it is not a concern limited to the environment, but also to the social environment.

It is important for this new consumer to know that the products have been manufactured respecting the production time. That is, no scale production and respecting workers’ rights. Small assembly lines are on the rise, though prices are considerably higher.

10. They care about safety when making a purchase

When it comes to making a purchase, the modern consumer expects to feel completely safe.

That means the sites must offer verifiable security certificates that attest to the integrity of the operation.

It doesn’t stop there!

The customer wants the guarantee that they’ll get their money back if anything goes wrong or the product doesn’t meet their needs and expectations.

Therefore, the seller has to make all the information about the product clear so the customer feels like the business is trustworthy.

Get to know your ideal customer

You’ve just seen the 10 main characteristics of today’s consumer behavior.

However, there are variations that should be closely observed for each type of business. After all, a person who buys fitness products may also be interested in pregnant woman’s clothing, but the likelihood of the audience being different is quite large.

Therefore, it’s very important that each entrepreneur to build the profile of his ideal client. Only then will they be able to think of specific, assertive marketing strategies for their context.

The company also needs to do Market research regularly. Evaluating the change in the consumer’s profile is fundamental to choosing the best strategies that will deliver amazing outcomes.